aboutSTFF
Inaugurated in 2012 by the TACAWA Film Committee, Seattle Turkish Film Festival has become one of the most admired and venerated events of the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington. The film festival is a non-profit, volunteer-driven event, committed to bringing the best of Turkish films to Seattle in an effort to provide an international platform for talented filmmakers working in both short and feature length formats to showcase their work.
Read Washington State Governor Jay Inslee's Proclamation of Turkish Republic Day and Turkish Heritage Month.
MEET THE TEAM
SIRIN AYSAN
Festival Director
Sirin Aysan is a television producer and filmmaker. She has produced acclaimed series and specials for major broadcasters and streaming platforms. Sirin has covered stories around the globe and is the recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for her work on “Child Brides” for PBS. The television programs she has directed have been nominated for Emmy, Prism, and Telly awards. As a film lover, she is very excited and honored to be a part of ever-growing Seattle Turkish Film Festival.
OZGUR ARMAN
Short Films Director
Film enthusiast. :)
DEMET KITIS
Director of Programming
Demet studied business in Turkey with Master's degrees in Marketing. Enjoys drawing cartoons and illustrating stories. Loves the 7th art.
SELIM KURU
Organization Advisor
Selim S. Kuru is an Associate Professor of Ottoman and Turkish studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington.
PINAR MERTAN
Director of Partnerships
Pinar studied law at Istanbul
University and worked as a legal counsel and sworn translator for Siemens in Istanbul. She's organized many cultural school fairs and events, and is a certified medical interpreter and court interpreter in Washington State.
EBRU YILDIRIM
Event Director
Growing up watching Yesilcam (what Turkish film and art industry was called in old days) movies, Ebru believes Turkish cinema still has many interesting, mesmerizing, powerful stories to tell and share. She helps with marketing and special events for the festival. On her spare times she works as a Financial Analyst.
BANU ERDIM
Marketing Director
Born and raised in Turkey, Banu has been living in Seattle since 2013. Her background is architecture with a master’s degree in Environmental Control and Building Technology and she works as a Sustainability Consultant. Having a keen interest in film, particularly foreign and independent ones, she is excited to be in the organizing committee of Seattle Turkish Film Festival.
MURAT DABAOGLU
Volunteer Director
Murat went to Istanbul University studying Tourism And Hotel Management and pursued further education in the US on Diversity Management, HR, Spanish. He has lived in the Greater Seattle Area for almost 17 years and considers it home. He is one of the main sponsors and volunteer coordinator of the Seattle Turkish Film festival.
LISA WAAGD
Art Director
Video journalist, sound engineer, graphic designer. Remember: W.A.A.G.D.
OUR PARTNERS
